Through gorges in the hidden mountains of Liptó

Itinerary:

• We hike up the K trail in the Prószéki valley (Prosiecka dolina), passing through Veľké Borové, then follow the trail into the Kvačany valley (Kvacianska dolina) up to the Oblazy junction.

• We descend to the upper end of the village in the Kvačany valley (Kvačianska dolina) on the P trail.

• We hike back on the S trail to the entrance of the Prószéki valley (Prosiecka dolina).

• We return to Prószék (Prosiek) on the K trail.

Detailed description of the hike:

The adventurous rock world of the Prószéki gorge

Starting from Prószék (Prosiek), we follow the K trail towards the mountains at the edge of the village. The little-known Kócs Mountains (Chočské vrchy) form a regular band as a continuation of the Liptó Hills, on the edge of the Liptó Basin between high mountain ranges. Although its limestone peaks (except for the main summit) only slightly exceed 1,000 meters, the deep transversal gorges cut into the massif create a serious mountainous impression. These valleys channel surface water from Upper Liptó's higher areas through gorges with spectacular cliff faces in the limestone range. Soon we reach the foot of the mountains by a clearing with a rest area and an educational trail sign, where the path also turns into the closing valley.

Initially, we wind through alder and willow groves against the stream's flow, but at a certain point, the valley sharply changes; steep limestone walls block our way, allowing only the stream to find its way through the vertical rock incision. Cleverly constructed wooden planks lead over the dramatic narrow section where we can closely observe the stream's shaping activity. The gray limestone walls have deep rounded hollows, carved by the swirling water locally deepening the rock frame of the stream bed. The actual erosion comes not so much from the water's dissolving effect but from stone debris transported by the stream gradually grinding the walls. Therefore, rounded stones everywhere lie in the bed, rolling down with the water during floods, constantly bumping into each other and the gorge sides.

The narrowest part of the rock gorge is barely a few tens of meters long, at the end of which the plankway crosses to the other bank for a short exciting chain section. Here, a rock ledge dams the Prosiečanka stream, which pours noisily with foam over the stone dam, deepening a pool on the other side. As we pass through this barely hundred-meter narrow section, the valley gradually widens, and the walls, previously within reach, retreat to a respectful distance from the stream, giving way to the development of the gorge forest. On the eternally damp, shady valley floor, moss thickly covers the solid and calm surfaces. Around us, water-demanding trees and herbaceous plants form a lush community, typically ferns and willows filling the dense green space, which the widening path pierces through. We cross the stream at several points, mainly helped by larger rounded stones, though during snowmelt or rains, we may struggle with floodwaters filling the bed. As we ascend further into the valley, we slowly move away from the stream and climb the rocky debris on the mountain slope.

Under a larger rock wall, we then cross the stream and reach the gorge junction. From here, we can visit the highest waterfall in the valley system, the nearly ten-meter-tall Vodopád Červené piesky (Red Sand waterfall), which is a little more than a 10-minute detour on the side valley to the left (descending on a chained section). The main valley of the Prószéki stream (Prosiečanka) heads northeast, and this is the only way out of the gorge; moreover, the most exciting parts are still to come. So from here on, we need to be even more careful with our steps, especially if the stream is still flooding, although these rock steps are mostly dry now. The debris fills the narrow rock bed, and water flows between the stones. The rock walls, similar to the lowest section, close in again, opening a narrow corridor only a few meters wide, where a higher terrain step also blocks our way. We overcome this obstacle by a metal ladder and climb out of the increasingly adventurous gorge with the help of chains. Here, in the upper section, large rock basins formed in the stream bed, also worn out by pebbles churned by the falling water. We must climb over about 50 meters of gorge narrowing until the environment softens, and with no more significant elevation difference, pine forest conquers the valley floor as well. The previously rocky, gravelly path turns into a more comfortable, soft dirt track, leaving the excitements behind us, and more pleasant experiences await us on the upland meadows.

Sheep pastures of Upper Liptó meadows

The surrounding pine forest abruptly ends as we reach the upland, with only a few groups of pines interrupting the flat, expansive pasture. The meadows nestled in the mountains’ wreath receive enough precipitation to serve as green pastures for local livestock throughout the summer season. This is why the forest was cleared here, and the gentler terrains were left as pasture.

As we slowly climb eastwards to the pass, we reach the highest point of our route, where a cross stands beside the trail. Here, we can make a detour to a splendid viewpoint by turning north from the K trail onto an unmarked cart road that ascends the mountain slope towering in front of us. This unmarked road is less than a kilometer, leading to the ridge opening into the Diel meadow. If visibility is good, we have a great view of the western, rocky mountains of the Liptó Hills, which rise just 10 kilometers opposite the forested peaks of the Kócs Mountains.

If we do not take the detour from the hiking trail, the neighboring peaks unfortunately conceal the snow-covered hills, but even so, we enjoy a fabulous view from the pass when looking down at the meadows opening below, the houses of Veľké Borové (Nagyborove) arranged in a row, and the surrounding forested summits. At a corral, we reach the village, marked by the smell of manure, and since the well-functioning peasant farms were nationalized during socialism, we pass by huge corral buildings. Slowly, houses also greet us at the summit at Bufet Gorál – here, at the halfway point of the hike, we can rest on the cultured terrace and enjoy local food and drinks. If the buffet is open, it’s worth taking the splendid opportunity to rest and refresh. We also pass a few characteristic Slovak log houses at the southern end of the village, which we soon leave behind, and we turn onto a gravel road leading into the Borovianka stream gorge. Initially, the neighboring mountains still come closer and rise above us, but at a certain point, we leave behind the settlement’s meadows and enter coniferous forest.

Descent into the Kvačany valley, then through foothill meadows back to Prószék

The fast-flowing Borovianka stream opens the way into the rocky mountainous interior for us; more precisely, we follow a cart road next to the stream on the valley floor, parallel with the increasingly deeply cut watercourse. The valley allowed local residents access to the Liptó Basin, so a path has existed here for a long time, but horse traffic only started in the mid-19th century, when the Russian tsar marched here during the 1848-49 freedom fight to aid the imperial troops. At that time, the road in the valley was widened, later further developed by locals, enabling cart and later motor vehicle traffic through the valley. Hence, products were transported on this route to Liptó and milled at the mill located at the valley's "intersection," where the Borovianka, Ráztocký, and Kvačianka streams meet.

At the confluence of the Borovianka and Kvačianka streams on the stony valley floor, a few timber-framed peasant houses stand, the lower and upper mill buildings, which since restoration at the end of the 20th century, serve as exhibition sites showcasing old-world heritage. Inside, we can see water-driven wheels and belts in operation and some old domestic objects on display. In the early 20th century, there was also a grain mill and sawmill here, but production was later banned and continued secretly for a while.

Signs direct the way to the mill since the trail only cuts across the valley and climbs the gentler terrain on the opposite side. From here, the P trail leads further, bypassing the valley floor gorge. At one point, we pass a narrow rock pass where the road was blasted behind the Roháč rocky spur. A path also leads on the side of the Roháč rock tower, offering views of the deeply cut valley and the surrounding steep, forested mountain slopes.

After the rock pass, we descend steeply; it’s worth paying attention to our steps, as the road cut runs on bare rock. The previously gentle path suddenly loses over 100 meters in elevation here, but before reaching the stream level, another viewpoint opens with more comfortable access. A path leads to a rock cliff towering above the stream, where a lookout terrace with metal grated walkway and railing has been built, allowing us to lean out safely over the drop. The perspective is quite surreal as the stream roars just beneath our feet, deepening its bed in the gorge between the rock walls. Nearly 50 meters below us shines the valley floor, white with scattered limestone gravel.

Then the route heads beneath the rocks, reaching the stream level we left behind at the mill about 100 meters higher. Here, the valley narrows most, but the rock debris below the cliff gorge forest offers sure footing in the narrow pass. Soon, we reach the parking lot at the valley’s start, where the more spectacular sections end.

We can also finish the hike here if we came by public transport and don’t want to walk back to the starting point, as the village below, Kvačany (Kvačany), also has public transport to Liptószentmiklós (Liptovský Mikuláš), like Prószék. The route back to the start, however, offers some nice panoramas of the Liptó Basin and the Low Tatras ridge opposite, partly revealing the peaks of the Liptó Hills, so it’s worth walking those few kilometers in good weather.

From the parking lot, the S trail leads into the village, crossing the stream after a few hundred meters and winding up the grove-dotted hillside. From here, alternations of pine forests and clearings appear, with a few really fine viewpoints. We climb over 100 meters on the slope, then join a cart road and begin to gently descend. Above us lies a quarry where archaeologists found Bronze Age finds, tools, and statues.

In the last section of the hike, we traverse nearly contour-wise along the border between meadows and increasingly steep forested hillsides. Our gaze is drawn to the widely spreading water surface of the Szentmária Reservoir, a huge lake created by damming the Vág River, which gained the necessary area by sacrificing several villages. The original architectural elements and furnishings of the flooded villages can be seen in reconstructed buildings in the open-air museum near Pribylina. Finally, the trail steepens along a hedge and returns to the entrance of the Prószéki valley, from where we walk back down the village again on the known route, on the K trail.